ULM sand volleyball begins championship tournament

Members of the University of Louisiana at Monroe sand volleyball team practice in the rain on Monday.

The ULM sand volleyball team is one of six NCAA teams that are continuing their seasons at the AVCA National Sand Volleyball Championship.

ULM is assured at least two matches in the double-elimination tournament. The Warhawks open play at 10 a.m. today against No. 3 Florida State. Should ULM win the duel, it will advance to play Long Beach State. If the Warhawks fall, they battle Pepperdine, USC or North Florida in an elimination game.

"We're focusing on preparing a tradition at this school that future players can be proud of. Florida State is tough. If we win, Long Beach State is tough. If it goes according to seed, USC is tough. I'm not going to predict any outcomes, but we're excited to be a part of it. We seem to be peaking at the right time" head sand volleyball coach David Fischer said.

Saturday features the two semi-final matches and the team championship match. After a team champion is crowned, the 10 top pairs from the team championship squads automatically qualify for single-elimination play in the pairs competition.

ULM will be represented in the pairs play by Tetiana Sukach and Zuzana Markova. Amy Grabiec and Michelle McNamee must play a play-in game to be seeded in the round of 16.

"Our players have seen Sukach and Markova beat top pair from schools with strong indoor programs. We've broken the notion that a good indoor program automatically translates to a good sand program. We know enough about the game that we can be crafty, knowledgeable and mentally tough, Fischer said.

"If you expectations and are aware what kind of tournament this is, it can turn into pressure. Our players are excited, but they're approaching this as just another tournament. I think that's the right mentality. If you say this is the Olympics or the World Championships, you're thinking too much and you'll miss your serve. You just need to think about the next point," Fischer said.

Portions of the final team and pairs championship matches air May 21 at 6 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. on the CBS Sports Network.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Email this article

ULM sand volleyball begins championship tournament

The ULM sand volleyball team is one of six NCAA teams that are continuing their seasons at the AVCA National Sand Volleyball Championship.